The man who could not sleep is dead. He...

SLEEP IN PEACE.

November 3, 1986

BOLOLGNA, ITALY — SLEEP IN PEACE. The man who could not sleep is dead. He was the 14th member of his family to die from lack of sleep since 1822. Two of his sisters succumbed to the unnamed disease a few years ago at the University of Bologna Medical School. The three suffered from chronic insomnia, an apparently inherited disease that kills swiftly and has no known cure. The only other known case of a family wiped out by chronic insomnia was recorded in Vermont. ''We know the mechanics of the disease, but we have no way to stop it,'' said professor Elio Lugaresi, 59, head of the clinic. He would not divulge the name of the latest victim because other members of his family still are alive. ''He was a 53-year-old distinguished college graduate determined to resist his cruel fate as long as possible,'' Lugaresi said.